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Lawmaker, cabinet secretary free car from floodwater

DNREC Secretary Collin O'Mara and State Senator Bryan Townsend came across a stranded motorist while touring flooded areas of New Castle County and aided Minquas Fire Department responders in removing the motorists car from flooded-out Airport Road.

Collin O'Mara, Gov. Jack Markell's natural resources secretary, will leave his job in July to become the head of the National Wildlife Federation. But at least one Delawarean is happy he was still around Friday, when his car got stuck in floodwater on Airport Road near New Castle.

O'Mara, teaming up with Newark state Sen. Bryan Townsend, freed the car, and its motorist, from the knee-deep floodwater. Townsend and O'Mara had paired up to tour flood zones after Friday's rainfall. Townsend explains the scene as they walked up on the stranded motorist:

"Secretary O'Mara and I walked through the water and we talked to the stranded passenger," he said. "We talked to the fire company (and) we realized actually we could help push the car out. We put the car in neutral and pushed it out of the flood."

Contact Jonathan Starkey at (302) 983-6756, on Twitter @jwstarkey or at jstarkey@delawareonline.com.